ON THE SEA.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 July 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

BEATING THE SUBMARINES. LONDON, July 11." Lord Jellicoe, speaking at Southamp-' ton, said that his prophecy that the submarines would be defeated 'bly August was perhaps unguarded, but although ships were still being sunk they Avere being built faster than sunk, while the submarines were being sunk faster than built. That was what he meant when he said that the submarine would be defeated. He had every j confidence in the future. HUNTING.THE U-BOATS. AN INTERESTING. STATEMENT Received 11.35 a.m. LONDON, July 12. Sir Eric Geddes, in opening the Exhibition of Naval Photography, said there was hardly a day or night but what the Navy visited Heligoland Bight over or under water. Before the war officers and men regarded the use of mines as a sort of rat-catchers' job, but it is different now. Some of the finest men and some of the fastest ships were engaged in mining operations, often laying counter-offen-sive mines in Heligoland Bight. Gradually the mines were hemming In the submarines. "I am glad to say," said Sir Eric Geddes, "I have two photographs taken by Germans which show the blockships are still lying at the entrance of Zeebrugge Canal. Recently a submarine attacked six British trawlers off Ireland The submarine had two big guns, probably 6-inch

and fired one hundred shells. The battle lasted an hour, and the submarine was herself hit, and dived, never being seen again. Regarding depth charges, a submarine operating off a seaside resort had been hunted for 72 hours, thirty-five depth charges having been dropped near her. Eventually she rose and surrendered to some drifters."